“What is it?”
“You, baby girl, need to sweat it out.”
Tonia makes me change into a workout outfit. This is my first time wearing one, and I’m surprised how comfy it is. After braiding my hair quickly, I join Tonia at the entrance of the apartment.
Apparently, the building has a gym upstairs for its tenants, and Tonia, having changed clothes too, takes me there. As usual, Bobo the wolf-bear follows us like a shadow, and once we’re in the elevator, I can’t help but ask him.
“Bobo, do you change into your human form sometimes?”
Tonia laughs and answers in his stead, “He likes his wolf form much better, actually. You know, he shapeshifted superearly for the first time, when he was just five! I remember our mom thought it was Neal. She totally freaked out when we found out it was him, and he was big already.”
“I didn’t know we could shapeshift so young!” I say while looking at her brother.
Tonia shakes her head and fondly scratches her brother’s head. “Oh, this is a rarity! Most werewolves turn around ten or twelve for the first time. He’s a natural, I guess... But honestly, this doesn’t change much from where he’s on two feet. He’s not a chatterbox in his human form, either.”
I can’t really imagine what Bobo looks like as a human. He is so dog-like, it’s hard to remember he’s a werewolf sometimes.
“What about your big brother?” I ask, curious.
“Neal? No, Bobo’s the only one who thinks he is a house dog. Neal likes his human form. He’s a copy of Bobo, just a bit smaller.”
“And what about you?”
“Hm, I think I’m a tiny bit darker than the guys, and my size should be the same as Neal’s. We are still pretty big, anyway. The giant size runs in the family. I’ll show you sometime.”
I nod, a bit happy to know more about them. We finally reach the gym, and I suddenly remember a question I had in mind for a long time after meeting them, though I never actually dared to ask.
“Tonia, can I ask how old you are?”
“Twenty-four. Neal is twenty-six, and Bobo is nineteen.”
Wait, Bobo is still a teen? I thought he was much older than me! It turns out he’s not even two years older. No wonder Tonia treats him like a big baby! How funny. I’m looking at my bodyguard in a totally different light now. He doesn’t seem to care at all and leads the way in front of us.
The gym is empty, despite being so big. There are two rows of machines like treadmills and elliptic bikes, free weights disposed on shelves, colored mats, and a few punching bags.
“Come over here; let’s get started,” says Tonia.
She makes me run for twenty minutes, putting me on the treadmill. She uses another one right next to me and watches how I do. Compared to me, Tonia is incredibly fit. Now that she is wearing this kind of outfit, I can see she is slightly muscular, not a once of fat. How lucky. I envy her tan and tall body. When I look at myself in the mirrors, I just look... petite and skinny.
After what she calls the warming-up, she takes me to a boxing ring and makes me put on two boxing gloves. A bit perplexed, I search Bobo for help, but he has started a nap on one of the benches and couldn’t care less about what we’re doing. I’m pretty sure he’s snoring.
“Ok, baby girl. Now that you are better, it’s time to get back in shape. Punch this.”
She’s wearing some big, weird cushion-glove, waiting for me. I try to hit it, but she gives me an annoyed look.
“Nora, you call that a punch? Come on, girl, do it seriously. Again, and don’t hold back.”
I’m not holding back! I try punching a few more times, but every time, Tonia won’t budge. It’s like hitting some wall. She looks at me like I’m some fly. A very weak fly.
After a while, she rolls her eyes and asks me to stop.
“Nora, you’re holding up. Trust me. Even a five-year-old kid can punch harder than that.”
“I’m not used to this! I’ve never hit... anyone before.” I defend myself, blushing
I’m usually the one receiving the hits... Tonia shakes her head.
“That’s my point. Learn how to throw a good punch, and next time, you can defend yourself. Come on, try again. Get angry.”
